Harper's Life Plan
by MellaBrooke
Summary: Sometimes life doesn't always go as you plan.
1. Chapter 01

**So, I realize that I've been MIA for a wicked long time and have been a severe disappointment in that regard. **

**I also realize that most of my followers (I love you guys!) like me because they're interested in the Harry Potter universe that I write for... So I know this new story might disappoint those of you who expected a new Harry story. But I want to make it clear that I'm going to continue my writings concerning our (truly) favorite wizards. It's just going to take me some time. **

**I'm excited to be back and can't wait to start writing about Potter and Weasley. **

**Untilt hen though, I've started this Wizards drabble and I hope that it keeps you content if only to prove I haven't pulled a Dumbledore and died on you.**

**And now that I've wasted thirty years of your time... Here it is:**

_

* * *

_

**Harper's Life Plan**

In the past sixteen years of my life, I had given quite a lot of thought to the way my future was going to unfold.

In my mind I planned to graduate high school, go off to college (majoring in fashion design obviously), marry Justin (Harper Russo has a ring to it, doesn't it?), have two children - a girl and a boy, open my own Paint-A-Plate shop, and experience the overall splendor of my life. A life that I had spent years dreaming of.

But when Juliet Van Husen came into the picture, that all changed.

Justin fell for her almost instantly. With her long, beautiful, curly blonde hair and her bubbly attitude, she had all but wrapped him around her little finger in the first week of their 'whirlwind love affair.' Even the small hiccup of her being a vampire didn't stop their love for one another. They stood up to their parents and, once they were given permission to see one another, became attached at the hip.

Where Juliet went, Justin went following after. It was akin to the sickeningly sweet story of Mary with her lamb. Except this Mary had fangs and would probably not hesitate to eat a plate of her lamb's chops if given the opportunity...

Everyday Alex and I were forced to stomach the nose kisses and the starry-eyed glances. And as I saw their relationship continuing to blossom, it only fed my teenage despair.

Hadn't I clearly loved Justin first? Didn't we have plenty of things in common? What was so wrong with me that he didn't want me?

I spent quite a bit of time thinking about this and came up with two answers. The first was that I make sweaters for him out of my own hair and the second was that Juliet doesn't.

Really, it's as simple as that. I'm the younger sister's best friend with the slightly more awkward that average crush and Juliet is the pretty new girl who everyone loves.

But as much as I try I can't force myself to hate her. After all, she makes Justin light up when she walks into the room. He smiles for her like I've only ever seen him smile for his action figures.

Plus, she has lovely manners.

So after I had come to this conclusion that I really truly had no chance, I knew there was only one thing I could do (both for Justin and for myself.) I let him go.

It wasn't as painful as I anticpated it would've been. Sure, my life's plan lay in shatters at Juliet's adorable ballet flats... But atleast Justin was happy. That was what I kept reminding myself of.

And it was this thought that ran through my head as I sat in the Russo's sub shop.

Alex had scooted off to plan the perfect anti-Prom, Max was busy bussing tables, Theresa and Jerry were somewhere in the kitchen, and Justin was - as usual - off with Juliet.

I fought the urge to scowl as I imagined their picnic lunch in the park. Because I was a mature, well rounded young woman and their relationship no longer bothered me.

As I sat at the bar, poking around at my salad, Zeke came up and sat beside me. He was Justin's best friend and one of the smartest guys at our high school.

"Is Justin off with Juliet?" he asked, not looking at me as he spoke. Instead, he was intently focused on the napkin holder in front of him.

My first instinct was to nod, but just before I began to do so I remembered he wasn't looking at me. "Yes," I replied. "They left half an hour ago."

He nodded in understanding. We both knew that the couple would be gone for as long as their breaks allowed.

A moment of silence fell upon us as we both sat at the bar staring off into space. Then, Zeke seemed to notice something.

"Why aren't you with Alex?" The tone of his voice when he asked wasn't rude or condescending. There was not a smidge of the usual 'You shouldn't be here, Harper' that many people spoke to her with. He merely seemed curious.

It pleased me a bit to know that Zeke was nice enough to start up a casual conversation even if he had better things to do.

"She's off planning the perfect anti-Prom," I informed him as I reached a hand up to tuck a stray strand of red hair behind my ear. Earlier, she had cornered me in the subshop and proceeded to trick me into being excited about the actual prom instead of her anti-Prom. It was just like her to do something like that. Not that I minded terribly. After all, we were best friends. Confusions were allowed... occasionally.

I turned my head to look at him, seeing if he was reacting at all to my response. But he was still focused on the metal napkin container. From the way he was watching it, I can only assume he half-expected it to grow a pair of legs and start walking.

This idea made me smile because it wasn't entirely unlikely that it could have - or probably had happened atleast once in the Russo's house before. Especially with Max's record with spells.

As I began to think of the crazy things I had seen and heard of the wizards doing, I became lost in thought. Soon, I was so caught up with thinking about it that I didn't notice that Zeke had turned himself around to look at me. Our bodies were facing, but my eyes were focused elsewhere as I remained in my daze.

"Will you tell Justin I stopped by?" he asked after a moment, snapping me out of it.

I jumped a bit before looking at him. "Hmm?" My cheeks flushed a light pink. Now Zeke probably thought I was rude, not paying attention to him. That wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to be friendly, independent Harper with the cutest clothes on Waverly Place.

He smiled a bit at me and I felt a rush of unfamiliar guilt seep through me. "Tell Justin I stopped by?" he repeated.

"Oh yeah," I replied, nodding my head in what I can only assume to be the most spastic manner possible. "I'll tell him when he gets back."

Zeke's smile widened a bit as he scooted off the stool. "Thanks, Harper."

"No problem," I replied, watching him as he left the sub station.

Once more, I felt a tug of emotion in my gut. What had I done to feel so guilty? Was it because I had been rude to Zeke? Probably. I couldn't see anything else I could've done.

Shrugging, I slid down from the stool and set off in search of Alex. Maybe if I could find her, I could focus my energy on something other than the inexplicable emotion I felt.

* * *

**More to come?**


	2. Chapter 02

**A/N: I told you I'd be back! I think... Well, regardless, I've returned. And I realize that I write for two different breeds of fan (Harry Potter and Wizards), so I decided if I was going to write something NEW for HP, I should CONTINUE the Harper fic. I'd actually started this MONTHS ago, but I just recently found it on my hard drive. After a bit of tweeking, I finally gave it the A-OK to be published.**

**I hope you guys like it. It's not got much Zarper interaction, but it's not really supposed to... Next chapter will be better! I promise! Enjoy!**

* * *

_The week after my short, unintentionally rude conversation with Zeke, I found myself acting very Un-Harperlike. Every other day I was dazing off in history, arriving late to class, forgetting to give Alex her homework that I had finished for her, and blanking on my locker combination. _

_It goes without saying that my actions were making me a bit nervous. I couldn't think of anything that had caused me to act this badly at school since... well, ever. I had always been a prominent student; completing assignments promptly, talking with the teachers, and organizing interesting social events. But now I could barely walk through the hallways without tripping up or realizing I had forgotten my Spanish book in my locker only to rush back and get it before class._

_Even lunch went less smoothly than it usually did._

_For instance, when I was standing in line to get my tray, two incredibly rude guys cut in front of me. Though thoroughly agitated with them and their less than considerate actions, I bit my tongue and refused to say anything to them. After all, wasn't I the better person? Didn't I have the opportunity to make today a good day in spite of these pompous boys?_

_But then the guy in front of me got the very last lime cola and I lost all of my optimism. _

_Absolutely nothing was going right for me. Not today. Not yesterday. Not the day before. I was having a hard time seeing how my week could get any worse._

_I was determined to atleast make it through the day with my dignity though. So, with an inward sigh, I grabbed an orange juice and paid for my meal before walking around to seek out a place to sit in the crowded cafeteria. It would be a while before Alex finally sauntered in for lunch and when she arrived, she'd be expecting to have a place to sit while she stole the food from my plate. _

_There were a few very close calls of me almost bumping into people as I made my way through the rows of tables, but I thankfully evaded the disaster of completely embarassing myself in front of my classmates._

_It was as I celebrated my good luck at not bumping into the guy carrying the chili-cheese-fries that I spotted an empty table. Bingo! Perhaps my luck was changing for the better? I could only hope. _

_Knowing I needed to get there before someone else took the table, I began walking briskly towards it, weaving my way through the numerous tables and students that littered the cafeteria._

_But I had been wrong about my luck changing. Oh so very, very wrong. It was, in fact, just the same that it had been. Maybe worse._

_As I continued my race to the table, my foot managed to find the only area of floor in the entire cafeteria that had just recently been mopped and, as only can be expected from me, I slipped on the wet patch of floor and fell - quiet ungracefully, might I add. _

_As I fell, my food went all over my dress as my butt connected with the ground with a thud. And I can assure you, it does hurt as much as it looks like it would in the movies._

_Then almost immediately as I hit the floor, the entire cafeteria erupted in laughter - in true high school fashion. _

_I didn't need a mirror to know my face was almost as red as my hair. Not because I wasn't used to people laughing at me - I was - but because as I looked up, I saw Zeke walking towards me. _

_At first, I thought maybe he was going to laugh at me, too. Justin might've. But as I mentally prepared myself for him to laugh at me, he walked up to me and then... carefully stepped around me. _

_I was shocked. What a gentleman! _

_I sat in the floor staring after him until someone cleared their throat. Looking up I saw Mr. Laritate standing over me with a disapproving look on his face. _

_"Ms. Finkle, is there any reason you're blocking everyone's path?"_

_My cheeks probably got even darker then as I scrambled to get up. "Sorry, Mr. Laritate." I didn't meet his gaze. _

_"Well? Get along to class little lady," he replied before stepping around the remains of my lunch to head towards the line. _

_I nodded and rushed out of the cafeteria, not even realizing that class was out for another forty minutes. Like I said, my mind was elsewhere._

* * *

**Reviews make me insanely happy. But then again, so does ice cream. :)**


End file.
